The Hellenic Heritage Foundation Greek Canadian Archives (HHF GCA) aims to collect, preserve, and create resources relating to the history of Greek Canada.
Our archive grew out of the Greek Canadian History Project (GCHP)—a joint initiative launched by Athanasios (Sakis) Gekas and Christopher Grafos in 2012. Generous donations from the Hellenic Heritage Foundation and York University in 2021 helped establish a permanent archive housed in the Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections section of York University Libraries.
For more information about the HHF GCA, please contact hhfgca@yorku.ca
Did you immigrate from Greece to Canada before 1970? If so, we invite you to participate in the “Greeks in Canada” research project. We are especially interested in interviewing families who arrived before WW2. If you are interested, please email us at hhfgca@yorku.ca pic.twitter.com/9RWxqcwoPW
— HHF Greek Canadian Archives (@hhfgca) May 18, 2023
RECENT UPDATES & COMMENTARY
In 1922 Hercules Papamanolis, in his Greek-Canadian Guide describing Canada to potential immigrants from Greece, wrote that “the Greeks in Canada are mostly engaged in confectioneries, restaurants, cinemas, billiard halls, small restaurants, and hat cleaning businesses.” Indeed, from the early 20th century, Greek immigrants were active in various sectors, with...
My name is Christine Rose Cooling. Nothing about my name sounds, for lack of a better descriptor, stereotypically Greek.
That’s probably the first reason why my cultural identity resides in a liminal space of in-betweenness—floating between worlds that I can never fully inhabit.
I’ve often wished my parents had named...
The project of interconnecting Greek people worldwide is now in full swing. A staple in the politics of the Greek state, this desire for forming a global Hellenism proliferates today in the mission statements of many diaspora organizations. It is expressed, as we will see, in online media platforms, conferences, fundraising initiatives ....
Narrating Greek Canadian history in terms of struggle and inevitable integration is reductive. Our history contains more texture. Certainly, our increased visibility on screens, in boardrooms, and on the Supreme Court merits promotion, particularly when contextualized as the product of collective effort, individual perseverance, and environment...
NEWS
3rd Greek Canadian Studies Conference
On May 9-10, 2024, the Hellenic Heritage Foundation Chair of Modern Greek History and the HHF Greek Canadian Archives at York University will host the 3rd Greek Canadian Studies Conference. The central theme of this year’s conference is “Diasporic Identity: Performance and Practice.”
From Press to Preservation: Building the HHF Greek Canadian Archives at York University
On May 9, 2024, the Hellenic Heritage Foundation Chair of Modern Greek History, the HHF Greek Canadian Archives at York University, and the Greek Community of Toronto will host "From Press to Preservation: Building the HHF Greek Canadian Archives at York University." Join us at the Polymenakion Cultural Centre at 30 Thorncliffe Park Drive ...
Greek Elections 2023
The results of the double Greek elections surprised most people who were closely watching opinion polls between July 2019 and May 2023. All recent surveys seemed to agree that the governing center-right party, New Democracy, would win by a small margin—especially after the anger the Tempe tragedy aroused...
Seeking Interview participants who were born in the 1930s and who wish to share their childhood experiences
This study is seeking participants who were born in Greece in the late 1920s and the 1930s to document and archive their memories and experiences.